


A Broken Continent

by orphan_account



Category: RWBY
Genre: American Revolution, Character Death, Injury, More Serious Ruby Rose, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23659342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A RWBY revolutionary war AU because I haven't seen one yet. Might update summary later, who knows.Queen Salem II, evil tyrant, evil policies, evil...yeah you get it. They attacked the colonists. Washington has had enough and he is going to lead a revolution. Who does he turn to in this time of crisis? None other than Ozpin, mayor of beacon to train and produce elite warriors. The fate of the country lies in the hands of these young men and women.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	1. Spark of Flame

**Author's Note:**

> I kinda lost interest for my other fic, might take it down if I really don't feel like continuing it at all. I have high hopes for this one, will probably complete it, infrequent updates though.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

Ruby Rose looked up from the sabre that she was sharpening and said “Enter!”

The door opened and her longtime friend Jaune Arc burst into her shop, out of breath from running.

“Did you - hear the news?”

“What news?”

“The bloody brits, they shot us up at Lexington and again at Concord! Oz said he was organizing militia teams to beat ‘em out of here.”

“Jaune… I’m… I can’t. Sorry.”

“Why not? You signed up for this when you joined the militia, you don’t get to say you can’t”

“Yes I can, I’m not fighting this hopeless war. I’m sorry.”

“Okay Ruby, but if you change your mind, Oz is having all of us meet at the town hall tomorrow at midday, bring Yang if you can.”

“I’ll tell Yang about it, but there is no guarantee that she will want to go, even if I do.”

“Alright then, have a good day Ruby”

“You too Jaune.”

As soon as Ruby heard Jaune running off, she turned her attention back to the sabre she was working on. It belonged to some wealthy tory, or at least a former tory, last Ruby heard she had defected to the patriotic cause, whatever that word meant nowadays. Ruby finished sharpening the silver blade and polished it before placing it within the larger sabre that contained it. She needed to have Yang deliver this when she got back, and after she broke the news. Now completely finished with the blade, Ruby placed it in its scabbard and set it aside before grabbing her precious Crescent, the war scythe that she had built from broken down farm implements. She began listlessly polishing the blade as she looked around her workshop, her eyes drawn to the long rifle leaning against the back wall. _This war is hopeless right? Oz and his little revolution are never going to succeed? Right? I don’t know what to do. God…_

The door suddenly slammed open, Ruby looked up and saw a breathless Yang standing in the doorway. “Sis...did you hear?”

“Yeah, Jaune came by not too long ago. I was going to tell you, but it seems as if you already got the news.”

“Nora broke the news to me. We are going to help right?”

“Yang...it’s-”

“Ruby, they are our friends, we have to help.”

“But Yang, the Brits have bloody mercenaries fighting for them, trained killers, we don’t stand a damn chance!”

“You’re damn right we don’t, nobody stands a chance if they don’t try.”

“Yang..-”

“We signed up for this, Oz called the militia, that’s us.”

“Jaune said the same thing.”

“First smart thing I’ve heard out of his mouth...Ruby, I don’t want to do this without you, but if I have to I will.”

“Don’t be rash Yang, we will die, I promised mom I would keep us safe before she let us leave”

“Ruby, I’m sorry to put you in this position, but I am going to fight, there is no question about it. Now what’s going to keep me safer, running the shop, or putting that aim to some good use?”

“Damn it Yang-”

“NO! I’m going to the meeting tomorrow, follow me or don’t, it’s up to you.” With an air of finality, Yang stormed up the stairs leading to the rooms and slammed the door shut. Ruby sighed, _Well, I did promise to keep her safe, and she is right, I can protect her better if I’m in the field with her. Sorry mom, I hope you can forgive me._ Ruby returned her focus to her scythe before looking back up at the rifle, _ehh Rose could use a touchup too._ Ruby stood up and grabbed her rifle and her cleaning kit, blowing the dust off the box containing her tools. _Oh boy, this is going to be fun…_

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Weiss! Get up, it is time for you to prove your worth to me.”

Weiss Schee stood up from where she was sitting and blew out the candle she was using, her book on military tactics half-open. “Yes father,” she replied, grabbing her precious rapier Myrtenaster. It gleamed a beautiful silver in the moonlight that filtered through the window and she paused to admire it, no matter how many times she saw it, Myrtenaster never ceased to amaze her with its intricate design.

“Do not dally girl! The British attacked those insolent traitors today at Lexington and I pledged my support to Queen Salem II’s advisor Doctor Watts. You have two choices, marry the next noble who looks your way or be an officer in the army. Doctor Watts and I came to an agreement, if you can beat one of his abnormal creations, he will place you in charge of some fort. Do NOT fail me girl, I cannot have my reputation tainted by your uselessness.”

Weiss clipped Myrtenaster to her belt. “Yes father,” and began walking down the long hallway lit dimly by candles on the wall. _Doctor Watts? I heard he was senile. Did he not try to make monsters or something similar? What am I to fight?_ As she neared the large door that led to the training room, she felt something with a foul aura. The darkness crept into her soul and made her stomach turn, it felt like she was swimming in a river of death and disease and revolting images began swirling through her head. Weiss felt a shiver crawl down her spine and as she steadied herself, pushed the door open to a horrifying image. There was a cage in the center of the room, but what truly scared her was the beast inside. Its piercing red eyes gleamed in the darkness of the room, seemingly staring into her soul. Its maw was wide open, saliva pooling around the edges and dripping to the floor, rows upon rows of rotting yellow teeth, their jagged edges showing obvious signs of use, bits of flesh still clinging to them. The body was covered in plates of bone, several plates having spikes, dulled at the tips. As Weiss stared at it in fear, her brain also picked up on the beast’s main weapons, its four inch claws that had once been white, but now cracking, yellow, yet still deadly. _Good, at least I’ll have the reach advantage_. As she observed it some more, she realized that its overall shape resembled that of a wolf, but the blood red lines interlacing the dirty white plates of armour on its back as well as its truly enormous size put any inkling of doubt out of Weiss’s mind. This was a monster.

“Well, it seems you have met our prototype weapon, the Alpha Beowolf, weighing in at over three hundred pounds and tested on prisoners. It is almost combat ready, we just need it to face a warrior. No matter the outcome, your death, loss, or victory, the Queen will have herself a new weapon within a month. Now...here is a word of advice for you young lady, don’t die.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The wind blew her hair roughly, several strands wrapping around her face, slightly obscuring her vision. Next to her, his red tinged hair blowing in a writhing mess on his head, stood her chief, Adam Taurus. 

“General Reinhart was it? Why have you brought _her_ here?” _Her_ was a dark haired woman, an old member of the White Fang tribe who joined the British army, Cinder Fall.

“Oh Taurus, we are now allies don’t you know. The British have attacked the colonists and I intend to watch their settlements burn. We all know how much you hate the colonists, help us rid this land from them.”

“Very well Fall, but once this war is over and we stand on the remains of our enemies, I will not hesitate to strike you down.”

“Nor I you, Taurus”

General Reinhart broke in with his monotone voice, seemingly uncaring, “So we are in agreement then, you will help us fight the colonists?”

“Correct”

“Yes Hazel, be a dear and tell Queen Salem that the Branwen Clan refused this offer and they are now standing with the colonists.”

“Understood. Chief Taurus, Belladonna, I bid you goodnight”

As Hazel, followed by Cinder left the clearing, Adam turned to his second in command.

“Yes Blake? What is troubling you?”

“Why are we working with the British? Were they not the ones responsible for the colonists in the first place? Won’t they just do the same things?”

“Yes, but you forget, the colonists are the ones who gave me this” Adam pulled off his eyepatch, revealing a brand in the shape of an S, a gift from his previous owner for his disobedience. “The British don’t capture us and make us slaves, if it weren’t for your father and Sienna, I would have never escaped that plantation.

“Alright Adam, I will follow your lead. If you truly think this is the correct-”

“It is, don’t question me Blake.”

“Yes chief”

“I need you to infiltrate the militia, join their ranks and report back to me when you have gathered enough intel. They have a meeting at Beacon’s town hall tomorrow at midday, make sure they accept you”

“Of course, goodbye Adam.” Blake knew this was going to be the last time she saw him and they were on the same side. She wasn’t planning on reporting back. She would join the militia and fight the British, they were led by a truly despicable leader and Adam was blinded by his hatred of the colonists. To Blake, it was painfully obvious that Queen Salem was just using him to further British goals.

“Goodbye Blake, and may the spirits guide you to success.” _Yes this is truly goodbye Adam, I'm sorry_.


	2. White Bleeds Red, The Sparks Fly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss fights, Ruby and Yang meet somebody.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't expect this too often, I stayed up way too late to write this next chapter so fast and I enjoy sleeping.

“...don’t die.”

“I don’t plan-” With a clank, the cage holding the beast back opened and it released a spine-chilling howl from its maw before it charged toward the girl. Weiss, stunned by the ferocity of the beast, barely had time to raise her rapier to block, the sheer force behind the blow causing her arm to reverberate in pain. She jumped back right as another powerful swipe slashed through the air where she had been moments before.  _ Focus, you’re a Schnee, you are better than this _ .

She brought Mrytenaster parallel to her face and as the wolf-thing neared, she neatly dodged a swipe and parried another before bringing her steel-tipped boots up and into the thing's ribs. The crack that followed was drowned out by the howl of pain it released and with a heavy swipe, it disarmed Weiss and Myrtenaster flew to her left.  _ And there goes my reach advantage _ . Thinking quickly, she removed her hunting knife and stabbed it into the palm of the incoming swipe. The beast howled again, and its other paw swung in a backhand that sent Weiss flying, away from Mrytenaster. This was bad, Weiss could fight common criminals in hand to hand, but this thing would tear her apart if she didn’t have a weapon. She looked around the room as the monster advanced upon her and she saw...nothing she could use to fight it.  _ Hand to hand it is then _ . As the thing neared her, she saw her knife still sticking out of its paw and she kicked the pommel with her boot, the knife sinking even deeper into the things hand. It howled and tried to hit her but Weiss was already running. She reached Myrtenaster and grabbed it, turning around to a paw that she had no chance to block. As she hit the floor, the beast howled triumphantly as it smelt the blood that leaked out of the girl. Weiss opened her left eye and saw red, literally.  _ At least I can still see. _ The beast pounced at her again, from the left, but Weiss parried and kicked it in the shin. She saw her opportunity again when the beast rose on its hind legs and howled, delivering another devastating kick to the joint. Weiss watched as the beast’s knee snapped from the blow but failed to see the paw descending upon her. It hit Weiss in the back, causing her to lurch forward and the beast opened its mouth, ready to bite her head off. Needing to do something, Weiss twisted her arm so that Myrtenaster pointed in front of her and watched the sharp point pierce through the roof of the beast’s mouth and exit through its head. As it died, it fell on Weiss and she felt her shoulder pop and a rib crack before the monster finally dissipated into black ash.

Weiss moaned, she was in pain, horrible pain, it felt like she had torn her arm off. Her vision began to swim and she closed her eyes, hearing. “Bravo Jacques, your daughter is truly a warrior” before blacking out from the pain.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun glinted off the polished wooden exterior of Rose, or at least the butt of the rifle sticking out from under Ruby’s tattered blood red cloak. She was dressed far differently from the way she was dressed yesterday, in tattered cotton clothes, grey and soaked through with sweat, grime, and dust. Today, Ruby looked like a warrior, a warrior with a skirt. Underneath her hooded visage, she wore almost exclusively black and red, a black corset with red lacing, a skirt fringed with red, and the most important part, her nearly knee high steel-tipped combat boots, given to her by her mother along with the cloak. As she neared the tavern, she unsheathed a hunting knife, leaned against the wall, and waited.

A few moments later, she saw a man fly out of the tavern, very obviously drunk. The man stood, cursed about something, and stumbled in the direction Ruby was, walking no more than ten feet before tripping over himself and falling flat on his face. Ruby stepped over the man and entered the tavern, readying herself for a fight.  _ Why does Yang always have to do this whenever we have an argument?  _ Recently, every time Yang and Ruby had a disagreement, Yang would run off to the bar looking for trouble, and boy did she get it. As Ruby watched the scene unfold, Yang was surrounded by no more than four or five men, another three laying on the ground unconscious. Ruby watched as a man swung at Yang, losing his balance and falling right into Yang's accelerating fist. A resounding crack sounded out and the man fell backward, his nose twisted at an unnatural angle and blood leaking from his shattered nose. The other four men backed off a bit, trying to find another opening, and that’s when Ruby acted. She rushed towards the nearest man, hitting him in the temple with the pommel of her knife, instantly knocking him out. Before the others could react, Ruby’s leg shot out and her foot found its place in another man’s crotch. Unlike his friends, the man didn’t go unconscious, instead, falling to the floor like a sack of bricks and moaning in pain. Ruby felt the air shift behind her and heard the sound of a bone breaking, turning around to see Yang bending a man’s elbow backwards far further than it should go, his femur protruding from his arm but not quite breaking the skin, forming a gruesome outline of his snapped arm. An elbow to the face put him on the ground and the last man looked at the two sisters before running out of the tavern.

“I had that under control Ruby”

“Yeah, I know, but I needed to talk to you.”

“Look, if it’s about yesterday, save it, I already made up my mind.”

“I know, but it’s almost midday and you forgot Ember and Celia.”

“Thanks Rubes, but I don’t need them for...you polished them?”

“Yeah, I figured if I was going to look out for you then I needed a clean weapon, and Ember and Celia were just right there so I touched them up too.”

“Wow, thank you so much...wait...what do you mean look out for me, why would you need a clean weapon to do that?”

Ruby gave Yang a pointed look.

“Ohh, welcome back Reaper, ready to go?”

“After you, Dragon, we have a meeting to get to.”

==========================

As the clock tower struck twelve, a yellow and red duo pushed past the oaken doors making up the town hall. Ruby looked up and waved,

“Pyrrha! Jaune! Over here! We saved you a seat”

As the pair made their way over, Jaune called out,

“Ruby! It seems you changed your mind, let me guess, it was Yang who convinced you to get back in gear.”

“Yeah, but for the record, I still think this fight is hopeless.”

“And why is that Miss Rose?” A smooth yet firm voice cut in. Ruby turned to see...a mug of amber liquid and a cane beneath it.

“Mayor Ozpin! Well umm… you see, the Brits have those German mercenaries, they have more and, in general, better weapons, and not all of us here in the colonies are on board with this...revolution”

“Ah, I see. Worry not Miss Rose, what we lack in men and training we more than make up for with our skill and our morale, the Hessians will crumble after a few victories because they are fighting for money, not for loyalty. Whereas we may die in dozens and continue to fight, they are not as willing to take casualties. Now, I do believe I have a speech to make.”

With a flourish, Ozpin turned, his forest green peacoat swishing behind him with the movement, and he walked up to the podium near the front of the room. Once there, he slammed his cane into the floor causing several loud thuds to ring out and silencing the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen, colonists and natives, we are gathered here today on common grounds, the will to fight the British and drive them out of this land. We don’t want their monarchy anymore, Queen Salem has ruled too long with an iron thumb and now we must fight back! As the mayor of Beacon, a town that produced numerous skilled fighters in the French and Indian wars, now acting Commander and Chief General George Washington has tasked me with creating groups of highly trained individuals to help him combat the British, and that is where you come in. For the next week, we will train until we are in prime fighting condition, then you will be assigned missions by either General Washington or myself. Are there any questions, or are you ready to begin?”

A native friendly to the colonists, a rowdy blonde named Sun, jumped on the table and said, “Hey Oz, I’m pretty sure I speak for everyone, except for maybe Cardin and his group of idiots-”

“HEY, WATCH IT REDSKIN I’LL HAVE YOU-”

“Nevermind, when I say that we are ready to kick some Brit arse!”

“-YOU HEAR ME SUN!?!”

Yang stood up “Cool it ugly, my sister interrupted my last fight, I don’t wanna have to blow off my steam fighting you.”

Cardin, seeing Yang get up, shrunk into himself and placed his hands protectively over his crotch, she was right, he really didn’t want to have to fight her again.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the shadows of a corner of the town hall, a stealthy woman wearing all black was watching a blonde, who had quite the figure, cow the hot headed redhead.  _ Damn, _ she thought _ she’s kinda hot, maybe I should go deliver my greetings. _ Instead, just before she decided to walk over, she grabbed her book and sat down at a table.  _ It would be for the best if I don’t start a relationship, not during wartime at least, things could get...messy _ . 

As she read, she thought about the events leading up to where she was. After she had left Adam, she had collected her repeating flintlock pistol, her lucky rabbit's foot, a hunting knife, and a British sabre, a gift from her father and affectionately named Gambol. She then traveled to the town and bought some clothes that would allow her to fit in. A black ribbon tied around her head, a feather tucked in the back of the ribbon, a form fitting suit obviously designed with the male body in mind, as she was constantly reminded by the constricting of her chest, and tight black pants that were cut off at the knees after being bought. She had elected to keep her moccasins because she preferred the stealth, and because she needed to save a little money. Blake later found an alleyway to sleep in and made a beeline for the town hall as soon as she woke up.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice two figures radiating happiness coming her way.

“Hello, I’m Ruby and this is Yang, you seem new to this town-”

“Do you need somewhere to stay? Those clothes look like you slept on the ground yesterday”

“YANG, DO NOT CUT ME OFF, sorry about that, but she’s also right, if you need a place we have room.”

“That would be...splendid.”

“Oh, where are my manners, what’s your name? Ooo, and what book is that? I don’t really know how to read. But Yang does, she used to read me bedtime stories!”

“I am Blake, this book is a Native story about a man with two souls, each soul fighting for dominance over his body, basically there is a soul of good and a soul of evil and they cause the man to go crazy. He eventually visits the Shaman and his body is cleansed of the evil soul.”

“Wow, that sounds so cool! I have to go talk to Nora, have fun Yang!”

Yang turned back to Blake, a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks.

“Sooo, um… hi I’m Yang” she said, her right hand nervously scratching the back of her head.

“Hello, your sister said you used to read to her?”

“Oh yeah, I can tell you about it.”

“I would like that.” And with that, they fell into an easy conversation with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blake be like, shouldn't romance but Yang just comes along and ruins those plans.


	3. Interlude: Before the Inferno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake...doesn't land on her feet.  
> Yang doesn't realize how bad she has it  
> Weiss is a naughty girl. Plotting like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good News and Bad news:  
> Bad news, less time to write cuz classes. Therefore, more spaced apart updates  
> Good news, writing this is still fun for me, so no abandonment anytime soon.

_ Clang! Screech! Clang! _

Blake awoke with a start...and a pounding headache.  _ What happened yesterday? There was the meeting, then Ruby and Yang, then... _ Nothing. She could remember nothing after she was in conversation with Yang. She had been nervous, not knowing what to do around the blonde woman. Oh, she had been drinking, glass after glass of scotch had apparently had an effect on her and she had become blackout drunk. As she tried to remember anything else about the previous day, her head throbbed again and she hissed in pain, suddenly registering that she was in a house, on a bed, an actual mattress made of cotton, not the normal animal furs she slept on. Her instincts kicked in and she jumped out of bed, preparing for any hostile movement, but her body had other plans. The blood rushing to her head made her feel light headed, enhancing her horrible headache. The combined effect turned what should have been a badass moment into Blake barely maintaining her balance, failing moments later to collapse on the floor, moaning in pain.

_ Clang! _

And that damned noise again, who was making such a racket, it was...noticing the strong sunlight filtering into the room, not very early anymore. Blake tried to stand once more, moving slowly as to not cause too much blood to rush to her head at once.

_ Clang! *pound* _

As the noise rang out again, Blake’s head throbbed the pain becoming quite acute. She stumbled out the doorway, head pounding and promptly missed the first step going down. As she fell, she tried to put her arms out to stop herself but instead of the wooden stair hitting her palms, her forearms crashed into the stair, followed closely by her head. She swore she saw stars for a minute as she felt her ribs bruise on another step before finally landing on her back, eyes staring blanking at the unfamiliar ceiling. 

Something shuffled to Blake’s left and as she turned her head, she saw at least a half a dozen blurry Ruby’s, five of them surrounding one in the middle.

“Blake! Are you ok? Blake? C’mon Blake, answer me!”

Blake wanted to respond, but as much as she wanted it to, her mouth refused to open and when it finally did, nothing came out except for a slight hiss of air leaving her throat.   
“Ooh, this is bad, I’ll take you to see Neptune, you might have hurt your head falling down those stairs and I don’t know enough to tell how badly you are hurt. YANG!”

“YEAH SIS?”

“BLAKE FELL DO-”

Ruby stopped and looked and Blake curiously when Blake put her hand on Ruby’s forearm, and tapped her head.

“Are you ok? Should I stop yelling? Oh it must be-”

Blake tried her best to nod and Yang suddenly burst through the narrow entrance to the stairwell.

“Christ, Blake you ok?”

“Yeah, she is fine Yang. I think we should take her to Neptune’s so he can take a look at her head though.”

“Alright sis, you clean up your tools and I’ll grab Blake, then we can go.”

_ So that’s what the pounding was, Ruby must be a blacksmith, I hope she can touch up Gambol, it could use some polishing. _

“Alright Yang, lets go. Blake, can you stand?”

Blake’s head tilted slightly to the right and back towards the left, a slight gasp escaping leaving her from the pain.

“Shhhhh, it’s alright, I can carry you.”

As Blake felt warm arms pick her up off the floor, her body relaxed despite the pain in her head and her eyelids felt heavy.  _ I just need to rest my eyes _ Blake thought as she closed them, falling asleep in Yang’s arms.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Yang picked Blake up off the ground, she felt the raven haired woman go limp in her arms, her breathing steady. Based on what she knew, Blake could have a concussion or even brain damage. 

“Hey Rubes, do you think Blake will be fine?”

“I’m sure she’s fine Yang, she seemed pretty coherrr-ant?... clear headed back there, I mean, she could respond to my questions, just without talking.”

“But what if she gets brain damage?”

“I don’t think so, she seems tough.”

“Yeah…” Yang sighed as they walked into  _ Neptune’s Apothecary _ . As soon as they stepped into the building they heard an argument between Neptune and his friend Sun.

“I’m telling you Sun, she is beautiful, makes me sweat when I’m around her.”

“Sure Nep, but I’m telling you, you can’t have her. Not only is she a tory, but she is also- Hey Yang!”

“Hey Sun, Nep, Blake here needs to be looked at, she fell down a flight of stairs. What were you two talking about?”   
“Just set her down on the table, we will take a look when she wakes up. Apparently Nep over here thinks that Ice Queen is hot.”

Yang gave Neptune a funny look, “Nep, have you heard the news?”

Neptune looked up from where he was waiting for Blake to wake up, “What news?”

“Ice Queen’s sister told us that she was in preference of the fairer gender, if you know what I am saying.”

“Oh, Ohhh, I see, guess I really had no chance.” Neptune chuckled.

As Yang finished her little chat with Neptune, she looked over to Sun and Ruby and heard the tail end of their conversation.

“...So what’s her name Ruby, she’s pretty.”

“Yeah, pretty taken if you ask me. She was staring at Yang forever yesterday and when I got them to talk… Ohhh boy, they were looking into each other’s eyes for hours. They were pretty drunk too, no idea how they didn't jump each other right then and there.”

Yang butted in, “Hey Rubes, what was that about Blake staring at me?”

Sun gave Ruby a knowing look as she said, “Case and point.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in the richer area of the city, Weiss Schnee woke from her nightmare and her hand shot to her left eye. Or at least it tried to. Once her arm began to move her shoulder muscles protested and her nerves signaled their discontent, pain lancing from her shoulder and seemingly travelling into her neck, causing her head to lock into place slightly. She blinked her eye as the pain began to dissipate. _ Wait, eye? _ She blinked again, realizing that her left eye remained shrouded in darkness. This time, she moved her right arm and as she brushed over her ribs, she hissed in pain and then gasped in shock as she felt the bandage covering her eye.  _ So it wasn’t a dream, I passed father’s stupid test and fought a… what did Watts call it? A beowolf? If only I was as strong as Winter, running off with her bodyguard… _

There was a knock on her door.

“Come in.” Weiss turned her head farther left than she was used to to see who it could be. Certainly not her father, he never knocked, nor her brother who ignored everything she did.  _ Mother? _ Doubtful, probably looking at the bottom of a wine glass.

“Miss Schnee”  _ Ah _ , it was Klein, her father’s servant who treated her more like a daughter than Jacques ever would.

“Good morning Klein, do you need something?”

“It's actually good afternoon Miss, and no I just wanted to check up on you. Are you alright?” His eyes seemed to turn from their normal chocolate brown to a reddish brown, “I have half-a-mind to beat Jacques down to a pulp for making you fight that thing. What was that bugger thinking?”

“I’m fine Klein, I beat it, did I not? I fought for and earned the right to join the army, I can finally leave.”

“That you did Miss Schnee. I wish you well in your newfound adventure, though I do think you should fight for the rebels, the Queen is truly evil and your skill will only be used to help her gain more power.”

“One step at a time Klein, by the end of this war, I’ll either be hung for treason for fighting against the British, dead, or helping the rebels in their final victory.”

“Of course. General Fall has given you a week of bedrest before you are to be transferred to lead the outpost in Beacon.”

“Thank you Klein, for everything, for being the father that I never really had.”

“It was my pleasure Miss Schnee, do make sure you don’t die.”

“I’ve survived so far Klein, and I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”

“Goodbye and goodluck Miss Schnee, may the next time I see you be when you are helping the rebels liberate this city.”

“Goodbye Klein, and may you please get me some food, I am famished.”

“Of course Miss Schnee.” Klein left and Weiss lay back down on her bed, closing her eyes and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read the title carefully, you'll have a good idea of what happens next chapter.


	4. Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last day before the big break. Blake finally meets a Schnee.

With an oof, Yang collapsed on her cot, sighing into the soft mattress that her face was buried in. It had been a week, a week of training. She thought she knew how to fight before they had begun training, but boy was she wrong, her arms felt like they were going to fall right off her body, her body stung from a multitude of bruises inflicted by a multitude of people, students and teachers alike. Even knowing that Port was a great fighter hadn’t prepared her for his onslaught, apparently he wasn’t exaggerating too much when he said that he wrestled wild animals into submission. And Pyrrha,  _ God damn she was good _ . Yang had known that Pyrrha was a spectacular fighter but knowing about something and experiencing it first hand were very, very different, knowing about it definitely didn’t leave her in the mud after not even five minutes had passed. Oh and Ruby, when did her sister get so good at fighting? She hadn’t fought in ages, she shouldn’t have been able to continually put Yang on the defensive and then sweep her legs out from under her. Boy was she glad that training was over.

Even if training had sucked, Yang couldn’t deny that she had become a much better fighter. Glynda had taught her how to maintain her cool during a fight and control the anger to help her rather than hurt her focus and cause her to act irrationally. Pyrrha had taught her how to get inside someone’s guard and put them on the defensive with her punches. And Ruby, even Ruby had taught her something. Yang learned that if someone was faster than her, her best chance was to try and outlast them in stamina because she wasn’t fast enough to get inside their guard.

Mission posts were going up tomorrow and excitement fought its way through her exhaustion, she couldn’t wait to finally do some good and fight against the evil of the British monarchy.

A loud knock caused her drooping eyes to fly open and adrenaline surged through her body, she had heard of British patrols going around town and taking up residence in random houses. This wasn't a large home, so that was probably not the reason. _ They must have figured out that Ruby and I are part of the rebels and they are here to execute us _ . Yang grabbed her blunderbuss, and approached the door, pulling back the hammer and readying herself for a fight. Another knock resounded throughout the cabin/smithery and Yang yelled, “Coming, give me a second!”

She reached the door, making sure to open it with her left hand so that she could still fire with her right, and revealing Winter Schnee.

“Oh, hey Winter, Ruby’s not home right now, but I think she finished with your sabre, would you like me to bring it to you?”

“Yang stop being so formal with me, it feels unnatural when you-” Winter’s eyes flitted downward towards a glint of light, seeing Yang holstering one her her guns. 

Hearing the pause, Yang looked up to see Winter staring at her hip and said, “Thought you were a Brit patrol, I forgot you were coming.”

“I see-”

“Oh sorry, come on in. What do you want to drink?”

“A cup of tea would be delightful, do you know when Ruby will return?”

“On it and no, she went out to the market with Blake.”   
“Who is Blake?”

“A friend we picked up at the meeting. She’s a pretty skilled fighter and is near silent. I would say she’s even more skilled at infiltration than even Ren.”

“Interesting…”

A loud pounding at the door interrupted them, Yang immediately unholstering her gun yet again. A voice called out. “YANG! LET ME IN!”

She holstered her blunderbuss yet again, approaching the door and throwing it wide open, revealing one Ruby Rose and one Blake Belladonna. As Ruby entered, she saw Winter and immediately handed the things she bought to Yang before running into her workshop and quickly returning with a sheathed sabre, bringing it over to Winter. Blake entered right as Ruby returned and saw the woman sitting at the table, suddenly freezing like a deer.

Yang saw Blake’s panicked expression and realized that Blake didn’t know Winter was with them. Before she could say anything, Winter spoke up.

“You must be Blake. There’s no need to fear me, I hate my father as much, if not more than you. There is a reason I left that godforsaken mansion.”

Blake visibly relaxed, but she was still tense, reading to fight or run in a moment's notice. Yang took note of this and put her hand on Blake’s shoulder, pushing her towards the guest room and saying, “Come on Blake, Winter just came to pick up her sword, you need some rest.”

As the two of them left the room, Winter spoke up, “They are awfully close, haven't you only known each other for a week?”

Ruby replied, “Yang’s not courting her, they are just very good friends. At least that's what she says. I personally think that there is something more going on there.”

WInter hummed before undoing a pouch hanging from her waist.

“Here you go Rose, your payment.”

“Thank you Winter” Ruby said as she poured the contents of the pouch out and began counting.

Winter stood and began making her way to the exit before Ruby’s shrill voice stopped her. 

“Wait! Winter, you gave me 5 pounds and 6 pence too many!”

“I am well aware of that Rose, see it as a thank you for taking care of my sabre. Also, its much, not many.”

Ruby blushed in embarrassment, uttering a thank you that Winter barely caught.

“No problem Rose, but I do have a request.”   
“What is it Winter?”   
“When you sign up for your missions tomorrow, please choose the one where you storm the British outpost in Beacon. My sister longs to be free and if you could break her out it would be greatly appreciated.”

“Sooo, is she locked up?”

“Something of the sort, until next time Rose.”

“Okay… Godspeed Winter!”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in the British outpost, Weiss was studying military strategy when a pigeon flew through her open window. She recognized the pigeon as Winter’s and extracted the message from the pigeon's foot before scattering some feed on the table.

The message read  _ Soon, dear sister. Soon you will be free. Do try to make it seem like you were kidnapped _ .  _ With love, Winter _ .

Weiss smiled before writing out a response, tying it to the pigeon’s foot and saying, “Bring that to Winter.”

As the pigeon took off, Weiss felt elation, she would soon be free from her father’s grasp. It was time to begin the countdown.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, just so you guys know, there will not be scheduled updates and they will be few and far between.


End file.
